Expansion chamber for refrigerating mechanisms



Aug. 4, 1931. MUFFLY 1,817,202

EXPANSION CHAMBER FOR REFRIGERATING MECHANISMS Filed July 18. 1927 INVENTOR.

GZE/V/V MUFFLY BY a j 7 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 4, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GLENN MUFFLY, 013 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO COPELAND PRODUCTS, INC., A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN EXPANSION CHAMBER FOR REFRIGERATING MECHANISMS Application filed July 18,

tween the inner walls of the element for receiving cooling trays.

A further object is to provide an expansion chamber for refrigerating systems, formed from a plurality of metal sheets into a ring-like or tubular section, the walls of which are hollow to provide a passageway for the passage of refrigerant therethrough, depressions being formed in the surface thereof, thereby producing projections within the interior of the hollow walls, which projections provide a maze in the path of the refrigerant passing through such hollow walls.

The above being among the objects of the present invention, the same consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described With reference to the accompanying drawings, and then claimed, having the above and other objects in View.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates a suitable embodiment of the present invention,

Fig. 1 is an end view of an expansion chamber or cooling element for refrigerant mechanisms formed from sheet metal into a generally tubular section in accordance with the present invention, parts of the same being broken away to better illustrate the construction.

F ig..2 is a sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end View of a modification of the expansion chamber shown in Fig. 1.

Expansion chambers or coolin elements such as the present invention refers to are HEISSU ED employed in refrigerating systems for the purpose of absorbmg heat from a chamber such as a chamber of a refrigerator. A refrigerant such as butane or sulphur dioxide in the liquid state is fed into the chamber Where it is allowed to expand into gas thereby absorbing heat and is then directed through a discharge opening and carried to the intake side of a suitable com ressor mechanism. Inasmuch as the heat a sorbed by the expanding gases within the expansion chamber is dependent to a certain extent upon the size and shape of the expansion chamber itself, it is desirable to employ an expansion chamber combining a maximum amount of heat transferring surface with minimum size. The present invention contemplates the provision of a construction wherein this result is obtained.

In accordance with the present invention I show in Figs. 1 and 2 a refrigerating element or expansion chamber formed primarily of two sheets of metal 10 and 11. These sheets are formed into a tubular, or for the purpose of illustration, what may be called a generally ring-shaped section, one of the members being telescopically received within the other thereof. The edges of the sheets at the ends of the element are brought into contacting relationship and sealed together, preferably by welding or the like, and the remaining edges of the member are brought together, preferably at the top of the expansion chamber, as shown in Fig. 1, in contacting relationship and welded together as at 12, thus forming a continuous ring. The outer sheet 11 between the ends of the expansion chamber and between the remainin edges of sheets 10 and 11 is spaced outward ly from the inner plate 10 so as to provide a chamber 13 between the same and the sheet 10 of maximum dimension in one direction, and minimum dimension in the other direc tion, thus presenting the maximum amount of heat transferring surface for the refrigerant to absorb heat from the ex ansion chamber and for the expansion 0 amber itself to absorb heat from the chamber in which it is situated. In order to increase the effective area of this heat transferring surdeparting from the spirit or substance of the broad invention, the scope of which is commensurate with the appended claims;

What I claim is:

1. An expansion chamber for refrigerating systems comprising two superposed sheets of metal having their edges sealed throughout and their faces joined at intervals, said sheets being bent to substantially an O shape and opposed edges secured together, said chamber having a refrigerant inlet in the bottom thereof and a refrigerant outlet in the top thereof.

2. An expansion chamber for refrigerating systems comprising two superimposed sheets of metal having their edges sealed and their faces joined at intervals, said sheets being bent to substantially an O shape, said chamber having a refrigerant inlet in the bottom thereof and a refrigerant outlet in the top thereof, said'outlet comprising a pair of openings adjacent the crest of the chamber and a common passage connecting the two.

3. An expansion chamber for refrigerating systems comprising two superposed sheets of metal having their edges sealed together throughout their length and their faces joined atintervals, said sheets being bent to substantially an O shape, bent intermediate their ends to provide a valley portion and a pair of parallel side portions, and a continuous top portion including opposed edges of said sheets, a. refrigerant inlet in the valley portion and a refrigerant outlet for the-side portions.

4. An expansion chamber for refrigerating systems comprising two superimposed sheets of metal having their edges sealed and their faces joined at intervals, said sheets being bent to substantially an O shape, bent intermediate their ends to provide a valley portlon and a air of parallel side portions, a refrigerant 1nlet in the valley portion and a, refrigerantoutlet for the side portions, said outlet comprising an opening in each of the sides adjacent the top thereof and a common passage connecting the same to an outlet pipe.

5. A cooling element for refrigerating systems comprising a pair of generally ring-like sheets of metal, one socketed within the other in generally spaced relation thereto and sealed throughout their edges to form a chamber therebetween,-said sheets contacting the full length of the top of said element, a passageway connecting the sides of said element adjacent the top thereof, an opening in said passageway for exhausting said element, inlet means for refrigerant adjacent the bottom of said element, and a plurality of depressions in the outer face of the outer of said sheets forming projections within said chamber providing a maze for the passage of said refrigerant from said inlet means to said openmg.

6. A chamber for use in connection with refrigerator systems comprising a pair of continuous sheet metal members one received within the other in generally spaced relation thereto except at the top thereof to form a chamber between the same and joined together throughout their edges, a plurality of spaced depressions in the outer surface of one of said members forming projections within said chamber, an outlet opening at the top of said chamber, and an inlet opening at the bottom of said chamber.

7. A chamber for use in connection with refrigerator systems comprising a air of ring-like sheet metal members one o whlch is telescopically received within the other, the edges of said members contacting against each other and sealed against leakage, said members being completely separated from each other between said edges except at a plurality of spaced points where the bottoms of projections formed on at least one of said members contact against the other of said members and are secured thereto, and except at the top of said members where they lie 1n complete contact with each other over the length of said chambers, and inlet and outlet openings leadin into and out of the space between said mem ers.

8. An expansion chamber for refrigerating systems comprising a air of metal sheets joined together throug out their edges and being generally spaced between their edges, said joined sheets being bent to bring two opposed edges thereof into contact with each other whereby to form a tubular structure, and an inlet and an outlet for the space between said sheets.

9. An expansion chamber for refrigerating systems comprising a tubular member having generally hollow walls formed from inner and outer sheets of metal directly contacting along their margins and there sealed together, said sheets being joined in line contact over the length of said chamber adjacent the top thereof, and an inlet and an outlet for said hollow walls at the top and bottom respectively,.of said chamber.

GLENN MUFFLY. 

